Hirotada Ototake was born in Japan in 1976 with tetra-amelia, a congenital condition that left him with almost no arms or legs. His parents were determined that he would live a “normal” life. That meant no special treatment either at home or at school. Oto, as he is affectionately called, ended up playing sports like basketball, and pulling himself around on his behind to run the 50-meter dash.
He had a willingness to take on anything and still does. He recently wrote a bestseller titled “No One’s Perfect”. This is the second largest selling book in Japan in fifty years, which is more amazing in light of the fact that in Japan there is a powerful prejudice against fumanzoku meaning “not all there”.
Oto has become a celebrity in Japan and many other parts of the world, and it’s easy to see why. He is daring, alive, charming and apparently never sad. He undertakes to work and to play with minimal help, always with a smile, and he is always upbeat.
From: Milam, L. (2000). No One’s Perfect.